Thursday, August 14, 2008

Chicken Satay


Giz and I may be in over our heads.  We've sort of* committed to making lunch for 50 of my aunt's closest family members and friends.  My aunt's son, whom Giz wrote about here, is having his Bar Mitzvah at the end of this month with a reception at the house afterwards.

Come to think of it, Giz, we should probably give this aunt a name since we'll probably end up posting/blogging about this adventure of ours.  I propose: Auntie Takeout.  Auntie Takeout would happily order in pizza or Chinese food for any occasion.  But, there's no way we were going to allow my aunt to serve takeout for my cousin's bar mitzvah.

I know what you’re thinking.  Giz is moving at the end of this month – so it would be crazy to cook for 50 at the same time.  True… But we’re screwed committed now.  

In anticipation of this event, I thought I would try out one of the appetizers we plan to make: Chicken Satay.  I decided to go with a recipe posted by Jamie from Good Eats ‘n Sweet Treats.  Go check out Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats – it’s a great blog with a tonne of delicious-looking recipes.

As a side, I tried out an unfamiliar acquisition from a local market.  I have since learned that they are a type of summer squash called Pattypan.  They’re the yellow squash in the bottom right portion of this picture:

market

What can I say, I’m a sucker for cute looking vegetables.  I mixed the squash with some zucchini, green and orange peppers and grilled it on the bbq.

Please excuse the picture quality – R took the camera for the weekend, leaving me with Giz’s old hunk of crap. 

Chicken Satay
original source: Allrecipes.com

chickenpieces

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter ( I used crunchy)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup lemon or lime juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce 
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cubed (I cut them into finger sizes)

In a mixing bowl, combine peanut butter, soy sauce, lime/lemon juice, brown sugar, curry powder, garlic and hot pepper sauce. Place the chicken breasts in the marinade and refrigerate. Let the chicken marinate at least 2 hours, overnight is best.

Preheat a grill to high heat.  I used my bbq.  Weave the chicken onto skewers, then grill for 5 minutes per side.

Peanut Sauce
from Tyler Florence

1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 green onion, thinly sliced on the diagonal (didn’t include)
1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon red chili paste (omit this if you don't tolerate spicy foods well)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1-1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1-1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons hot water

In a small saucepan, heat the peanut oil over medium-low flame. Add the green onions, ginger, garlic, and chili paste. Cook and stir for a minute until soft and fragrant. Mix in the brown sugar, peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, and hot water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and the peanut butter has smoothed out.

Verdict: I was probably doing too much at once and my sauce ended up thicker than I would have liked.  But, everything tasted very good.  I would also probably pound my chicken into almost scallopini thickness to ensure a consistent thickness and even cooking time.  Lastly, I’ll have to remember to lay off the hot sauce for guests – I tend to like my food on the spicy side

 test

 

* by "sort of", I mean - we're committed, but still maintaining a level of denial.

StumbleUpon

25 comments:

Dharm said...

That does look lovely but I have to say that you really need to come to Malaysia to have the real Satay!! LOL. And sorry dear, I dont mean to be a pain, but good Satay peanut sauce doesnt use peanut butter. I'm supposed to make up a batch of Satay sauce from scratch but havent gotten round to it. Wahtever, yours still looks great and if you like it, then just stick your tongue out at me and tell me where to go!! LOL. Hugs!

What's Cookin Chicago said...

This looks wonderful, especially the marinade!

PG said...

dharm - well, I liked the dish I made. But, by all means, share your recipe from scratch.

Laura Paterson said...

Mmmmm - satay is one of my favourite things, though I have never made it myself... Going to put it on the list now - you've given me cravings!!

good luck with the catering... nowt like a challenge, eh??!

Rosie said...

This really DOES look mighty tasty!!

Rosie x

kat said...

Chicken satay is perfect for a crowd everyone always seems to like it. Last year Matt & I offered to cater a friends wedding rehearsal for about 60, yikes was it a ton of work so here's to you offering to do this!

Deborah said...

I love chicken satay, but my husband's not a fan of peanut sauce, so I don't have it very often. You all are brave - taking on cooking for that many!

Deeba PAB said...

ooooooooooh I love satay & have been waiting to make them forever! You're egging me on to give it a go! BTW, I love the little veggies too...they're precious!!

Deeba PAB said...

Oh & BTW, 50??? Are you sure? Oh well...hat's off to you, & best of luck! That's a tall order...

Ivy said...

Never heard of this dish before although I've made chicken with these ingredients but not with the sauce. Sounds delicious and good luck with with catering.

Anonymous said...

Everyone is going to love this. How wonderful of you to be doing it though even though it might bring you to your knees in exhaustion! Mazel Tov!

That Girl said...

I am so Giz - I catered a baby shower just days before our big move! And guess what we served.......

OhioMom said...

Love the grilled veggies and chicken, and a peanut sauce sounds like something I would like to try .. good luck and good eats !!

Chef Jeena said...

Fabulous I bet it tastes fantastic!

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

Your aunt and her son are very lucky!

Mandy said...

Thank you for your comment on my blog, it cracked me up.
Yummy! This looks like a perfect dish--you're going to be doing a lot of pounding if you're making chicken for 50 people, though! I can't wait to hear how this adventure turns out. Good luck!:)

KJ said...

Here in Australia we call those little yellow vegetables button squash. They are an everyday veggie for us. Funny how the world differs.

As for your satay, it looks good to me. I'm sure the guests will really appreciate the effort you are making.

grace said...

that's quite an undertaking, and i hope it works out! good thing you have a couple more weeks to prepare, and i think jaime's satay is an excellent place to start!

Beth (jamandcream) said...

I love satay but rarely cook it. 50 hey! thats some undertaking. Im sure you'll pull it off though.

Adam said...

Serving 50 is no joke. Why don't you guys apply for the Dinner Impossible show? Speaking of that, I'm gonna miss that guy.

One thing I do know is that chicken satay at a party equals happiness. I've seen it first hand. You two will do a great job, no worries. Thanks for being the take out police too.

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I am a sucker for the cute veggies too...baby beets, potatoes and patty pan...all would go great with the satay:D

Anonymous said...

Very cool peanut sauce recipe. Haven't made it in a while so thanks for the reminder!

Elle said...

Oh, it looks wonderful! I love satay, but have never made it at home.

Neen said...

Oh crap, a Bar Mitsvah?!?!?! Good LUCk! I've never been to one myself, but what I've heard... pressure's up on this one. I'd drop by to help, if I were in driving distance. Keep us posted, okay? Wow. You ladies are saints. (and yes, excuse the mixed religious metaphors :)

Julia said...

I agree with Dharm on the peanut sauce recipe... :) I posted one on my blog. But to be fair, if you don't have a food processor, it's much more practical to use peanut butter. You may also want to consider using chicken thighs instead of breasts... they have more fat in them so they are more resilient to overcooking... er, I mean, cooking on the grill. Those veggies look great, and I bet were tasty with the sauce too.

LinkWithin Related Stories Widget for Blogs
Share/Bookmark